First of all, I know comparison is bad for all our overall progression. And at the end of the day, photography aswell as all other art is subjective, which invalidates my statement. By “better” I guess I mean more sucessful.
I’ve been shooting photos for around 8 years, went to school for it, and still am. I even have a steady gig at a local skateshop. Learned alot of studio and flash while in school, yet knowing alot, i feel like my concept of photography and skill is miniscule, and there are much better photographers out there.
It might just be a classic case of the grass being greener at the neighbors, but I can’t imagine that im alone in this predicament. In this digital age with instagram, the app is just as inspiring as it can tear me down.
Has anyone dealt with the same feeling and/or are in the same predicament? If so, how do you deal with it/dealt with it?
In terms of skill, we only see the best of others while we see the good, the bad, and the ugly of ours.
Are you doing this for “success” or because you love it? Because if it’s for success, you’re going to be miserable. If it’s because you love it, none of that other shit matters.
There is always — always! — someone better. That’s no reason at all to stop something you enjoy.
I just discovered this photographer who’s in my area and is much better than me, so you will be sure that I’m gonna study her work for the next 3 months. She’s much better than me but gap isn’t that big, at least in my POV, I can bridge it in 2 years.
Don’t worry, i’m not.
I think you are in one of the ruts from this very very accurate graph 😉
Probably true. Same for me. I don’t care. It’s therapeutic for me
Probably.
So?
IDGAF.
I know comparison is bad for all our overall progression
So don’t do it.
First be honest about yourself about what you really want out of photography. Probably it isn’t just to be better relative to certain others, so focusing on your real goal will help you avoid the irrelevant, and you can think about what actually matters for what you want instead.
By “better” I guess I mean more sucessful.
Like financially? That has much more to do with business, marketing, networking, and people skills, and is not as much about photography skill.
yet knowing alot, i feel like my concept of photography and skill is miniscule, and there are much better photographers out there.
That’s probably true because it’s basically true for everyone.
You will continue to improve by a lot compared to where you are now, if you keep producing. And after that, the above will still be true.
But does that actually matter for the goal you have in mind?
I mean the goal for me is making shit that’s unique and that has an impact. At the core that’s what it is. For more context I’m more into fine art photography.
I didn’t necessarily mean financially, but more creatively successful. Their ideas are fleshed out, they do so with little margin of error, and yes financials do play a part. More money = more creative freedom.
Im kinda confused on that last part though. From what i understand, you’re saying that worrying about my skill and comparing won’t help me reach that goal? If thats the case no. But the act of not comparing isnt as easy as flipping a switch either.
Thanks for replying :)
I mean the goal for me is making shit that’s unique and that has an impact.
So what would be external indications that you have the impact that you want? How do you know when you’re meeting that goal? And/or how do you know that you aren’t meeting it now?
You don’t want to progress a goal but then miss the signs and continue to think you achieved nothing. And you don’t want a goal that is so vague that it’s impossible to know if you’re really succeeding at it or not. Either way you’re setting yourself up to always be failing at it.
they do so with little margin of error
Every photographer only shows their very best results. You don’t really know how many other attempts/failures/rejects were also behind that same project, and usually it’s more than you think. Don’t expect all of your work to match up to the very best of someone else’s work, because they likely have also produced lots of crap that they just hid from you.
More money = more creative freedom.
That money could come from anywhere, though.
If you really want a certain amount of money to fund a certain piece of equipment, or plane ticket, or event ticket, it’s possible non-photography work could get you that money faster, and help with your opportunities in photography. Money is money.
Im kinda confused on that last part though. From what i understand, you’re saying that worrying about my skill and comparing won’t help me reach that goal? If thats the case no.
Right. Keep thinking about your goal, and the things relevant to achieving it or gauging your success at it. That should help diminish the importance in your mind of things that have nothing to do with your goal.
But the act of not comparing isnt as easy as flipping a switch either.
Nothing will be. I’m just offering small suggestions to help a little.
I have been taking pictures with such thoughts for 28 years. And only recently I accepted it for myself and just take pictures for my own pleasure.
I use that to my advantage. If I see that someone can take better photos than me, then I will do what I can to learn from their work. Sometimes I’ll imitate what they did and then incorporate the same idea in my own work. And then I take some things I’ve learned from another person’s photos and do the same. Once I do that enough, I get a sense of what I want from my photos to make them better.
Even the best can learn a thing or two from someone else. You just have to change your mindset. Don’t focus on the fact that people are better than you. Focus on being better.
